The Israel-Hamas War is ongoing and along with the fighting on the battlefield, Israel is fighting a tricky battle on many fronts, including a war of public opinion, WWL's Newell Normand said on his show Tuesday.
"What we have seen, across not only across this country but other countries as well is a level of ignorance that is second to none as it relates to historical facts about this area of the world. How this place was settled, populated, who was there over this period of time, and whether or not one group of individuals can be considered more as an oppressor than anyone else. It's a very complex and difficult history in this part of the world.
"You can't just take sounds bites from news feeds or sound bites from Tik Tok and think that you're going to get much of anywhere."
As Israel readies for another temporary ceasefire to exchange prisoners with Palestine, Normand asked questions on his show about the cost of the Hamas tunnels where hostages are being kept and where the money came from -- and why they're spending money on tunnels instead of helping Palestinians.
"It's much easier to blame someone else," Normand said, adding "Everyone has made mistakes."
But a lot of the blame is misguided, Normand said, and it stems from lack of information and a belief in propaganda. A recent poll found two-thirds of Americans aged 18-24 believe Jews are oppressors, and half of young Americans in another poll said Israel should be ended and given to Hamas.
"The responses are truly mystifying," Normand said. "Where did they learn this? Where did they pick up, as one writer wrote, conceited ignorance?"
He added that it'll be interesting to see where it all lands and if students will ever become educated on the very things they're giving opinions about.